She's been a Bond girl, thrown the first pitch in Naked Gun and helped inspire Helen Mirren to an Oscar, but we suspect none of those things unpinned BAFTA's decision to garland Queen Elizabeth with an honorary gong at a ceremony last night. Instead, the esteemed film body recognised the Queen's long-standing support for filmmaking in the UK.

"I am delighted that this evening has given us the opportunity to give something back," BAFTA chairman John Willis explained at the Windsor Castle reception. "I have the great honour to announce that we are to present Her Majesty with an honorary BAFTA today, in recognition of her outstanding patronage of the film and television industries."

Willis went on to describe HRH as "the most memorable Bond girl yet", a reference to her (kinda) parachuting cameo in Danny Boyle's Olympics opening ceremony. We bet he'd say the same thing to Honor Blackman.

In attendence at the ceremony were Brit film luminaries such as Christopher Nolan, Eric Fellner, David Hare, Tom Hooper, Ian McKellen, Idris Elba and Edgar Wright, while George Lucas flew in from the States to pay tribute to Her Maj. Look out for her next year in the Rising Star category.

Can anyone please please please tell me what the Queen has won a BAFTA for? I honestly can't, in the 20 or so years I've been closely following film, remember anything she's ever done for the British film industry.
This utterly cheapens BAFTA. More